The present invention relates to flying disk toys and, more particularly, to such toys having pivotal streamers or banners mounted thereon for aesthetically enhancing the visual effect of the flying disk toy while in flight with minimal interference to its flight aerodynamics.
Flying disk toys having visual enhancements are well known in the prior art. Such visual enhancements have included streamers, lights, propellers and the like. By adding such visual enhancements, the flight aerodynamics of the disk toys are, however, drastically impaired, whereby flight stability, flight direction, and/or flight duration are detrimentally effected and/or curtailed.
The prior art describes various efforts to produce visual enhancement devices for flying disk toys. In all instances, however, such visual enhancement devices impair the flight characteristics of the flying disk toys.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,936 to Sklar discloses a flying saucer disk having a flexible tail and pivot means for attaching one end of the tail to the disk at its central axis. When the disk is rotating in flight, the tail trails while remaining extended in the direction opposite to the direction of flight. The pivot means and tail present a hindrance in the form of additional asymmetrical drag, as the pivot means and tail affect the upper airstream on the outer skin surface of the disk, and the asymmetrical drag tilts the front edge of the disk upward.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,185 to Kuster, Jr. discloses a flying disk toy having a display panel. The flying disk toy includes a coupling means for attaching the display panel to a centrally located cylindrical pin guide which allows for the display panel to rotate relative to the disk. The display panel presents a hindrance to the flight aerodynamics in the form of additional asymmetrical drag and flight stability, as the display panel affects the upper airstream on the outer skin surface of the flying disk toy, and the drag tilts the front lip of the disk upward.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,428 to Wield discloses an illuminated flying saucer toy having a pair of LED""s mounted in a diametrically opposed relationship relative to each other on the rim of its disk-shaped body. The disk-shaped body includes a centrally located circuit board housing having a plurality of decorative nails mounted thereon.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved flying disk toy having pivotal streamers thereon for enhancing the visual effects of the flying disk while in flight, but minimizes any deviations during its flight with regard to flight stability, direction and duration by minimizing any changes to the flight aerodynamics of the visually-enhanced flying disk toy.
In the foregoing circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flying disk toy having visual enhancements that minimize any distortion to its flight aerodynamics during use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved flying disk toy that minimizes any impairment of flight stability, flight direction and flight duration (distance) because of the visual enhancement device mounted thereon.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a flying disk toy having visual enhancement means mounted thereon for aesthetically enhancing the visual effect of the flying disk toy while in flight with minimal interference to its flight aerodynamics. The flying disk toy includes a substantially disk-shaped body having an outer rim, a generally convex top surface, a generally concave bottom surface, and a central axis about which the disk body rotates when the disk toy is in flight. The visual enhancement means includes a streamer which flaps and/or flutters in flight. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cstreamerxe2x80x9d includes a ribbon-like element, a flag, a banner, a pennon, a pennant, or a windsock. Preferably, the streamer is arranged so that its width is generally perpendicular to the top surface of the disk toy.
In one embodiment, the flying disk toy includes attachment means in the form of a substantially flexible string member having a swivel connector at one end and a loop member at the other end. The swivel connector is attached to a leading end of the streamer, such that the leading end of the streamer is positioned adjacent to the outer rim of the disk body. The loop member is attached to mounting means in the form of a mounting post, such that the loop member is rotatable relative to the disk body.
In another embodiment, the flying disk toy includes attachment means in the form of a substantially rigid hanger arm, one end of which is attached to a leading end of the streamer. The opposite end of the hanger arm is attached to a bearing member, such that the hanger arm is rotatable relative to the disk body. By locating the bearing member in a recessed area in the top surface of the disk body, within an equi-inertial plane that bisects the bearing member one can minimize the detrimental effects of the drag force caused by the streamer and the hanger arm.
In yet in another embodiment, the flying disk toy is provided with illumination means which function to illuminate the streamer when the disk toy is in flight. Typically, the illumination means includes a light source, a reflector, power means and a switch.